News & Events

News & Events

Dr. Roisin Cahalan has published a study, which examined a cohort of 37 championship level adolescent Irish dancers. Participants were screened at baseline for a host of potential biopsychosocial risk factors, and their injury history for the previous 12 months was recorded. Results showed that 84% of subjects recorded at least one pain/injury during the previous year, with many choosing to dance while in pain or injured. The incidence of injury was up to twice as high in some cases as injury in elite adolescent ballet or contemporary dancers. Proposed explanations include inappropriate technique progression, unique choreographical features, and an over-arduous calendar of competitive events. A prospective study nearing completion will help clarify causal factors in these dancers.

The HRI is delighted to confirm that 3rd Annual Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Summer School will take place at the University of Limerick on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th June 2018.
The Summer School is designed for individuals who wish to develop their knowledge and access resources for Public and Patient Involvement in health research. We welcome participation from community organisations, patient groups, researchers, health service providers and policy-makers.

Clinicians and academics from Limerick and the Mid-West region showcased their latest research findings at the 2017 Health Research Symposium on Friday, November 17th organised in collaboration between the Health Research Institute and UL Hospitals.

The event took place at the new Clinical Education and Research Centre at University Hospital Limerick and featured four keynote international speakers, 18 oral presentations and over 170 scientific abstracts.

The Health Research Symposium 2017 will take place at the new Clinical, Education and Research Centre (CERC Building) at University Hospital Limerick this Friday 17th November 2017.

A primary focus for this year’s symposium is “Building Partnerships to Advance Healthcare Research and Practice” and we plan to showcase the breadth and depth of cutting-edge research that continues across the clinical and academic settings.

We have had a wonderful enthusiastic response from the research community with over 170 scientific abstracts including 18 oral presentations. Awards for the overall best oral and poster presentations have maintained the competitive edge to this year’s symposium.

We are delighted to host an exciting line up of distinguished national and international speakers –

The Health Research Board and Irish Research Council have announced a new €1.75million initiative to help researchers involve the public at the very start of the health research process. It is the first of its kind in Ireland.

Professor of Primary Healthcare Research, Anne MacFarlane is to receive a €350,000 PPI Ignite Award under this scheme. Based at the Health Research Institute and the Graduate Entry Medical School, Prof MacFarlane’s research will further integrate Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) into the Institute and the University, and allow us to support researchers across a range of disciplines to mainstream PPI in their research.

CASPIR is the Irish branch of the internationally recognised Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. CASP developed workshops and tools for critically appraising a wide range of research including systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials, qualitative studies, cohort studies or case-control studies. These workshops and resources e.g. checklists, help participants put knowledge into practice. CASP is for anyone that wants to use research evidence in their professional practice, professional and personal decision making, and in development of policy and guidelines. CASPIR is a collaborative programme between University of Limerick, UL Hospitals Group and the Department of Public Health in the Mid-West and it is coordinated through the UL/UL Hospitals Clinical Research Unit.

The HRI are delighted to welcome Professor Tom Fahey from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) to our 2017 Seminar Series on Thursday 23rd March, 1pm, in The Pavilion with his presentation entitled:

The HRI is delighted to launch our second Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Summer School which takes place at the University of Limerick on Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd June 2017.

The Summer School is designed for individuals who wish to develop their knowledge and access resources for Public and Patient Involvement in health research. We welcome participation from community organisations, patient groups, researchers, health service providers and policy-makers.

A University of Limerick, Clinical Therapies and Health Research Institute researcher has been awarded a prestigious global fellowship to further her research into lower back pain. Physiotherapy researcher Dr Mary O’Keeffe is the first UL graduate to receive the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship from the European Commission. The award will enable Dr O’Keeffe to attend the George Institute for Global Health at University of Sydney, Australia, one of the top ten research institutions in the world for scientific impact. There, she will be hosted for two years by Professor Chris Maher who is the world leader in lower-back-pain research.

The DOCTRID V Conference will take place at the University of Limerick on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 April 2017.

Who should be there?

Researchers (social, technological, behavioural and life sciences), Health care professionals, People with Intellectual Disability or Autism, their families and carers.

What will you learn?

The DOCTRID V conference will include presentations from international experts, panel discussions and workshops aimed at fostering collaborations and innovations to make a real difference in the lives of those with ID and Autism.